Multiple Teams·
Nov 4
Preseason, Bane, and the Excitement of Tryouts

Thursday marked the end of the preseason for Boys Basketball. Our kids spent the past 8 weeks working through the Jump Attack program to gain muscle mass and explosiveness. The guys who had great commitment and work ethic are sporting some nice results. You can literally see the results. We have a few kids that cut down on some bad weight and some of them bulked up. We move quicker and are definitely jumping higher. We’ve spent the past 8 weeks playing in open run, which has definitely been the most competitive I have seen in my 3 years back at West Central. We’ve made tens of thousands of shots. We really have come a long way since August.

Thursday was a tradition for West Central. It marks the end of S&C. We call it “Bane”. The word, which means “a cause of great distress (or the destroyer)”, is important to us. And it is very appropriate to our day. It’s tough out there. It breaks guys down mentally and physically. Yet, I think it builds US up. It takes away from the individual and molds the unit. You can’t make it through Bane alone. You wouldn’t want to. Similarly, you can’t make it through the season alone either; it takes a unit to get this thing done. I told our guys that I believe that this team can move our program forward, but it has to be done together. We won’t go anywhere alone. It’s not about 1 guy and it never will be. We have to be accountable to each other. We have to collectively commit.

We are very excited for the start of tryouts on Monday afternoon. Everything thus far has been an opportunity for preparation. We want to be the most prepared team on our schedule; that statement has many meanings. We work diligently in the spring, summer, and fall to prepare ourselves and our team for the upcoming season. Our staff has spent (a ridiculous amount of) hours preparing for the first week of practice. Our players have been readying themselves and each other. This fall has passed quickly, but the preparation doesn’t end now. Our first test, at Kouts, (November 21) will be here soon. The team we put on the floor that night will be prepared.